In the network environment, it is common for multiple users to share one or more printers on a network. Traditionally, user computers submit print jobs over the network to a printer, and that printer places the print job in a queue. The print jobs are subsequently printed in the order they appear in the queue. In this manner, the printer inherently assigns priority to print jobs on a first-in-first-out (FIFO) basis.
When many users share the same printer resources, there are times when different users have different priority needs. For instance, one user might have a rush job that requires immediate printing, while other users have no time constraints. Unfortunately for the first user, with traditional FIFO-based priority, the rush print job is queued and printed in order, even though other print jobs ahead in the queue may not have any time constraints and could easily be postponed until after the rush job is completed. The fact that the first user places great importance on printing their print job as fast as possible goes unnoticed by the printer, resulting in an impatient and often frustrated user.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved printing scheme in the networked printing environment that prioritizes print jobs according to the importance ascribed by individual users.